It is well known to use UV light to kill pathogens in water. Many systems exist to expose water to UV light with the object of destroying pathogens in the water. It also is well known to guide fiber optic instruments into arterial blood vessels. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,460 where the ultraviolet laser energy is used for the ablation of atherosclerotic plaque; U.S. Pat. No. 5,053,033 where an optical fiber delivers UV radiation to a blood vessel site following angioplasty to kill aortic smooth muscle cells at the site; U.S. Pat. No. 5,891,082 where a catheter body has a light-emitting section at a distal end for curing a stent delivered to a blood vessel site; U.S. Pat. No. 6,117,128 where laser energy coupled to an optical fiber and transported by a catheter to treat vascular thrombosis disorders in the brain; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,030 where a flexible fiber optic bundle connected to a light source is used for treatments of internal and external diseases.
In spite of the wide use of UV light by the medical profession no apparatus has been developed for cleansing blood of pathogens such as fungi, virus, bacteria and molds. Such an apparatus is in critical need.